Fleet Industry News

BMW-owned fleet lessor Alphabet intends to raise the number of plug-in electric cars in use in the UK to 10,000 within the next three years. According to the UK Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) 4,200 electric cars are currently in use.

BMW-owned fleet lessor Alphabet intends to raise the number of plug-in electric cars in use in the UK to 10,000 within the next three years. According to the UK Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) 4,200 electric cars are currently in use.Alphabet will use its business consultancy service AlphaElectric to address the main barriers which have so far hampered the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) in the UK.Richard Schooling, chief executive of Alphabet said EV manufacturers had not spent enough effort helping "the business or driver to overcome their fears about adopting a new technology." He said AlphaElectric would use "a simple four-step process that takes away the stress and misconception about EVs."In 2012 the DVLA registered 2,254 new EVs and year-on-year sales in August 2013 have shown a 70% rise. The UK government has made an investment of £37m in infrastructure related to EVs, and has increased the number of public charging points to over 5,000. This, combined with the greater range of EVs for sale, gives Alphabet hope the EV market will grow in the near future.The lessor said by focusing its efforts on the corporate market for EVs it believes it will spur a more widespread adoption and Schooling said Alphabet could double EV sales next year.